Wilmington Probate Court Records

Wilmington probate court records are filed at the New Castle County Register of Wills office on the second floor of the Louis L. Redding City/County Building at 800 N. French Street. As the county seat of New Castle County and the largest city in Delaware, Wilmington is home to the primary Register of Wills office that handles all estate and probate filings for New Castle County residents. Anyone searching Wilmington probate court records for a will, estate inventory, or letters testamentary should contact the Register at (302) 395-7800 or start with the Delaware Public Archives database for older historical records.

Where Wilmington Probate Court Records Are Filed

Probate matters for all Wilmington residents are handled by the New Castle County Register of Wills. The office is located at 800 N. French Street, 2nd Floor, Wilmington, DE 19801. The Register is Ciro Poppiti III. Office hours are Monday through Thursday 8:00 AM to 3:30 PM and Friday 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM. The office closes daily for lunch from noon to 1:00 PM.

New Castle County requires electronic filing for most probate documents through the File and Serve Delaware system. If you are not familiar with electronic filing, contact the Register's office at (302) 395-7800 for guidance. The City of Wilmington Department of Real Estate and Housing can also assist residents with questions about property transfers after probate. Reach that office at 311 within the city or (302) 576-3030 from outside city limits.

An estate belonging to a Wilmington resident must be probated if the deceased owned more than $30,000 in personal property solely in their name or owned any real property solely in their name. Real property that is not properly probated cannot be legally transferred to heirs. A clouded title can prevent you from getting loans, homeowner's insurance, or access to utility and tax assistance programs. After probate closes, a new deed must be recorded with the New Castle County Recorder of Deeds to complete the transfer.

Searching Wilmington Probate Court Records

For Wilmington probate court records filed before approximately 1925, the Delaware Public Archives in Dover maintains the primary statewide probate index. New Castle County probates are on self-service microfilm in the Research Room at 121 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. North, Dover, open Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:15 PM. Phone: (302) 744-5000. Email archives@delaware.gov with all information from your index search to request copies. Staff provide a price quote within 10 business days.

For more recent cases, use the Delaware CourtConnect system to search by party name. CourtConnect shows active and recent probate case dockets. A $2.00 per name search fee at the Register of Wills covers a written letter outlining what records are on file for that person. You can also visit the Register's office in person at 800 N. French Street to review the file index and request copies.

The Historical Society of Delaware in Wilmington holds manuscript collections with probate-related materials for New Castle County. These collections are organized within larger family papers and manuscript groups by testator name. They supplement official court filings and may contain estate correspondence, financial documents, and wills not found in the Register's files. The society also holds naturalization records (1829-1858), marriage records, and business records that can be useful in tracing family relationships for estate research.

New Castle County probate court records extend back to 1680 and include wills (1682-1854), an index to wills (1682-1885), probate case files (1680-1956), and a Wills and Administrations Card File Index (1650-1925). The University of Delaware Morris Library in Newark holds microfilm for these records within its special collections department.

The Wilmington City Council provides local government information for residents, including links to county services and office locations relevant to estate administration.

For public records requests and verification of filing information, the New Castle County government website and the Wilmington city portal both link to relevant court and archives services.

Note: The Delaware Public Archives and the Register of Wills are separate institutions. The Archives holds historical records up to 1925. The Register holds everything more recent. You may need both depending on when the estate was filed.

What Wilmington Probate Court Records Show

A Wilmington probate court record can include the date of death, the names of the surviving spouse and children, the birth order of heirs, siblings and their spouses, parents' names, and the residence locations of all named persons. These records may also show ownership of land and other property, business names and occupations, military service, and guardianship arrangements for minor children. In many cases, probate records are the only known source for this type of family detail.

The probate file will typically include the original will if one existed, any challenges to the will's validity, claims made against the estate for debts, an inventory of real estate and personal property with appraised values, and guardian accounts if minor children were involved. Room-by-room inventories in older records can allow researchers to reconstruct exactly how a Wilmington home was furnished and used.

Records involving Wilmington residents from the colonial and early national period can be especially rich. New Castle County has the oldest probate records in Delaware, with filings from 1680 onward. Estate records from the 17th through 19th centuries often include property descriptions, survey maps, and occasionally sketches of buildings, making them valuable for architectural and property history research in addition to genealogy.

Nearby Delaware Cities

These cities are also in New Castle County and file probate court records at the same Register of Wills office in Wilmington.